More than two years since they met in the classic match of the Year 2019, Naoya Inoue and Nonito Donaire rematch this Tuesday with their bantamweight dominance at stake. A classic coming? Luke G. Williams previews the action…
Time waits for no man, but the incredible Nonito Donaire (42-6, 28 KOs) has delayed the inevitable decay of time longer than even his most ardent admirers could hope. hope.
Back in November 2019, the future Hall of Famer became only the second man to make it past 12 rounds to the fierce fists of Naoya ‘Monster’ Inoue, dropping an apparently unifying but pointless decision. same difficulty in the final of the World Boxing Super Series 118lbs tournament at Super Arena, Saitama, Japan.
At the time, it seemed the perfect note to bow – after all Donaire – then 40-6 with world titles in four weight classes on CV – with nothing left to prove and no world left to conquer.
How wrong have we all been!
After more than a year and a half of absence from the ring, the Philippine team returned to action last May and were the underdog in betting against the unbeaten and undefeated Nordine Oubaali. Many assumed that Donaire would return in one day’s final payday and Oubaali would probably apply final rituals to the old warrior’s career.
Instead, Donaire reasonably prevented him in the round of four to take over the 118lbs WBC title and become – at 38 – the oldest bantamweight world champion winner in history. For a good result, he then defended the strap against another undefeated player – fellow Filipino, Reymart Gaballo – who also stopped him in four.
Now Donaire is eyeing perhaps the most sensational show of his career with Japan’s undefeated and fearsome Inoue, a 29-year-old at the height of formidable power and savagery, fellow was the holder of the WBA super, IBF and lineal bantam titles. (Only Paul Butler’s small WBO strap is not suitable for pick up on Tuesdays).
And Donaire is clear about one thing – he’s not participating in a payday – he’s there to win.
“After the final battle [against Inoue]there’s a fire burning inside of me,” the 39-year-old declared in the lead up to Tuesday’s match, once again recounting the story that took place at Saitama’s Super Arena.
“I knew I could beat him to the best of my ability,” continued Donaire. “That’s what’s inside of me going into my locker after the fight. I wouldn’t want this rematch if I didn’t think I could win this one. I am very, very motivated. This is the fight I’ve been aiming for, to finish everything I haven’t accomplished in boxing. I’ve accomplished everything in boxing except being the undisputed, and this is the path to the undisputed. ”
Is it possible to build a case to win for Donaire? Well, it’s true that he’s pushed Inoue harder this past few days than any other man. It’s true that he didn’t knock Inoue out in their first match, but he did injure him a few times, and he also succeeded in fracturing his eye socket. Donaire is also able to hit Inoue, usually a master out of range at the time of an opponent’s punch, with much more regularity than any of the Japanese boxer’s previous victims. In short, Donaire made the ‘Monster’ look like a human and made a hitherto seemingly immortal warrior look very vulnerable at times.
It will be very encouraging to Donaire that Inoue’s form since the duo’s first game is difficult to read. Inoue’s seventh-round win over Jason Moloney in October 2020 was convincing enough, but his subsequent two games last year – stopping immensely dominant opponents in Michael Dasmarinas and Aran Dipaen – put offers few indications as to whether Inoue is still on an upward trajectory, or if he may – at 29 – have begun a gradual decline.
Certainly, in these three games, Inoue was not the unstoppable force he had in 2018 and 2019, as he ripped off world-class executors Jamie McDonnell, Juan Carlos Payano and Emmanuel Rodriguez times. turns in one, one and two sets. Donaire will no doubt tell himself that Inoue is not the person he was before the two split those 12 brutal rounds in Saitama.
Sadly, the pandemic robbed much of Inoue’s career momentum when he defeated Donaire. At the time, he looked like an attempt to hit number one sterling sooner rather than later, but his next promotional link to Top Rated – by far – was disappointing and did not lead to him becoming the superstar mainstream his talent warranted.
All of these factors – combined with Donaire’s incredible competitive spirit, bravery and experience – should give the Filipino hope that he can beat the long odds around 5-1 that most of the bookies closed his chances.
However, as much as Donaire’s victory presents a fairy tale of the warmest of natures, at some stage on Tuesday, cold, hard reality is sure to step in. For a lighter boxer to still be able to compete at world level at the age of 39 is phenomenal, but Donaire’s incredible run simply couldn’t last.
The history of logic, biology, and boxing all point to the inevitable that Donaire’s decline since this last encounter must have been steeper than Inoue’s. Furthermore, even though he gave Inoue a terrible time in the first skirmish, Donaire still didn’t win and – one point card apart – didn’t really come close to victory. Indeed, he needed all his dexterity, and referee Ernie Sharif’s hesitant performance to make it to the eleventh round after Inoue knocked him out with a truly wicked left hook to the liver.
Indeed, I would argue that the main takeaway from the first Donaire-Inoue war is not what it teaches us about Donaire – his evidence is long established – but what it is teaches us about Inoue – namely that he possesses a warrior’s heart and abundant competitive spirit, and even if things don’t go his way and he doesn’t guarantee a KO early, he’s still a one of the most dangerous unarmed men in the world.
So I want Inoue big in this fight. Donaire will give everything, but this time it’s not just not enough, I see him end up stopping somewhere between the middle and back innings.
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